The Atlanta Braves just added another veteran bat to the organization, signing Andrew McCutchen to a minor league contract Wednesday. The 39-year-old former MVP reported to North Port on Thursday and will start in the Florida Complex League before an expected promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett.
McCutchen is the second experienced hitter Atlanta has brought in on a minor league deal this week, following Carlos Santana. The Braves are scrambling for offensive help with Ronald Acuna Jr., Sean Murphy, Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider and AJ Smith-Shawver all on the injured list. Rowdy Tellez got designated for assignment earlier this week, too.
Atlanta’s offense has been brutal since June 1. They’ve scored 87 runs in 25 games, the fewest in the majors over that stretch. The Braves have lost 13 of their last 18 games, letting the Phillies cut their NL East lead to 2.5 games.
McCutchen started this season with Texas after signing a minor league contract in March and making the Opening Day roster. But he hit .192 with a .277 on-base percentage and .260 slugging in 37 games. That’s a .537 OPS, one home run, five RBIs. The Rangers designated him for assignment May 27 and eventually released him. Nicky Lopez took his spot.
His underlying numbers tell the same story. A 55 wRC+. A career-high 26.5% strikeout rate. A 28.8% hard-hit rate and 5.8% barrel rate. His bat speed dropped from the previous two seasons.
Still, McCutchen has a long track record. He’s a five-time All-Star and won the 2013 NL MVP. Across 2,299 career games, he has 2,280 hits, 453 doubles and 333 home runs. As recently as 2024, he was an above-average hitter for the Phillies, batting .232/.328/.411 with 20 homers. He played 135 games in 2025 before this latest comeback attempt with Atlanta.
The Braves are betting that McCutchen can find something close to that form again. They need it.
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